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Monday, May 20th, 2013

SLL Week 7, Day 1 ~ Bible Verse

by Linda Kuhar

Hello to all my awesome Online Bible Study Sisters!  It’s Linda Kuhar here again teaching Chapter 7 Overcoming Your Giants.  All I can say is I’ve highlighted just about every line in the entire chapter.  It’s that incredible!!  But before we dive in the book study, let’s soak ourselves in the word of God to prepare our hearts for a life-changing week.  This week’s reflections verse is…

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.  Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8

As many of you know, I’m a Christian Life Coach so guess what that means?  I like to challenge you from time to time.  So lets roll up our sleeves and let’s get busy this week in God’s truth.

  • First, let’s pray and ask God to examine our hearts and minds as we mediate on this verse.
  • Next, grab your journal and write out Philippians 4:8.
  • After reading quietly over this verse several times, write down anything that you are putting in your mind that is not true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable or worthy of praise.
  • Finally, ask God to help you refocus your mind on things excellent and worthy of praise.

Sisters, I wish I could tell you the above exercise is the “magic” formula to a brand new mindset, but it’s not a one time thing, it’s a life long change that takes hard consistent work.  For me personally, I struggle every day with a negative mindset, however when I’m willing to face my giants and make a change, it is readily available to me.  It just requires an attitude of determination and faith to know that God has my back.

I want to challenge you to join me this week in fixing your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable.  Leave a comment today and let me know if you accept the challenge and if so what are you going to do to keep yourself accountable.

This week we will have 2 Winners for our Friday Giveaway!  I will be giving away 2 Tickets to my upcoming Virtual Mini-retreat Discovering God’s Will for your life!  Click here to read more.  Remember every time you leave a comment your name goes into the drawing!

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Melissa Taylor

Sunday, May 19th, 2013

Stressed-Less Living, Week 7

by Melissa Taylor

Hi! Here we are in Week 7 and I have a message for you~


If you cannot see the video message above, click here to view directly on You Tube.

Reflection Verse 7

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.  Philippians 4:8

This sounds simple enough, right? As I mentioned in the video message above, it takes intention, practice, and decisiveness. We do have the ability to choose our thoughts. How will you choose yours?

This week, Linda Kuhar, will lead us in some solid Bible teaching and we will work on bringing this verse to be alive and active in our lives!

 

Suggested Assignments, Week 7

Participate & Comment! Remember each time you comment, you are entered to win a weekly prize. This week we are giving away a

Sunday~ Get ready for Week 7! Look over your week and plan for time with God and Bible Study. We will be reading Chapter 7, Overcoming Your Giants, this week.

Monday~ Bible Study! Get your Bible, pen, highlighter, notebook, and go to the OBS blog, www.MelissaTaylor.org for your Bible Study lesson and assignment. Discussion and interaction will be happening in the comment section.

Monday Night~ Conference Call #4 with special guest, Proverbs 31 Ministries’ very own, Sheila Mangum! Have you ever wondered how to get closer to God, to hear from God, to know God better? Sheila is a close personal friend of God. She is passionate about her Lord and fully believes in His promises. She has experienced much loss in her life, but through it all, she remains confident that God has got it all under control.

*****Hurry to order the Stressed-Less Living Conference Call Series before the price increases! Right now you will receive 5 calls containing 5 interviews with dynamic guests & 5 biblical messages to enforce Stressed-Less Living in your life TODAY. Each call begins and ends with prayer. You can listen to the call live or if you have to miss it, each call is recorded for you to listen later at your convenience. You can even download the call! Order the Stressed-Less Living Conference Call series today!

Tuesday~ Check the OBS blog for Chapter 7 insight and discussion.

Wednesday~ Have you ever considered speaking, writing, or leadership in ministry?  Proverbs 31 She Speaks Conference just might be for you! This is the door I entered that brought me to where I am today with Proverbs. Who knew that when I walked into the She Speaks Conference back in 2002 it would lead to seven years on the Speaker Team, 6 years on the office staff, and now Director of Online Bible Studies?  I took a small step of obedience and God made unimagined dreams come true. Could He be calling you to take that small step of obedience this year?

Thursday~ Blog Hop!

What-EVER. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8. Map our reflection verse for three days and share with us how your heart responds to His Word.

2. God is Here. We are always growing and maturing in our faith. At times, our faith grows with one big leap. All of a sudden, things seem clearer and God seems close enough to touch. Describe a time when you experienced God in a profound way and in turn, your faith made a leap forward.

3. Not my Goliath. Chapter 6. God provides us with what is needed to face the Goliaths in our lives. What are some big things you are facing right now? How are you depending on God’s strength to face these Goliaths?

4. #Blessed. Add to your #Blessed entry or start one today!

Friday~ Bible Study Lesson, this week’s winner, and your take away for the week! It’s all on the blog!

Saturday~ Prayer Requests & Praises. It’s a special day on the OBS blog. Share your prayers with you OBS community. This is our opportunity to give back by lifting up our sisters in Christ.

 

 

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Melissa Taylor

Saturday, May 18th, 2013

SLL Week 6 ~ Praises & Prayer Requests

by Ginny Blankenship

I was out driving this week and passed one of those churches that always has one of those cute saying on its billboard.  Usually they make me smile, or the nudge my conscience about my relationship with God.  This week the sign said:

Church Sign Never Look Back
Now at first I thought, “huh. (picture my forefinger tapping my chin as if in deep contemplation) That’s a good thought.”  But something in my spirit was unsettled by it, and not in a good way either.  As my day went on I thought on it and one verse in particular kept coming to mind, Romans 15:4 NIV, which says, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

Our past is something we can learn from, it is God’s intent that we learn from it.  It is one of the ways we can prep for battle.  We can read in Scripture the history of battles that have been fought before us.  We can remember Elisha who reminds us that we don’t fight alone but have angels on our side (2 Kings 6:17).  We are reminded that God can use the most unlikely people in a big way if we let Him (have you read about Rahab? Check out Joshua 2 and Joshua 6:22-24).  We learn how to overcome temptation by reading how Jesus responded to it in Matthew 4:1-11.  We can look to our own past and see the battles we have fought, and by God’s grace won, in the past and use those experiences to arm ourselves for the battles we face today, and those we will face tomorrow.  ”Never look back”?  I have to disagree with that.

At the same time, it is so easy to become consumed by the past, and God doesn’t want that for us either.  (Read Philippians 3:13-14, Isaiah 43:18-19, and especially 2 Corinthians 5:17)  God has a plan for us, one that is good, and perfect, and beyond anything we can imagine.  If we are living in our past, consumed by our past life so much so that we aren’t living the life we have now, we are missing the gifts He wants to bestow on us.  Hmmmm.  (contemplative forefinger tapping again)  

Perhaps there is a middle ground here, one that can help us to have less stress in our lives.  Maybe we should:

Church Sign Never Look Back 2

So suit up and use all the tools that our Lord has given us to fight this battle! If you are currently in a battle we would love to pray with you and join in the spiritual fight. And if you have recently won a battle share it with us so that we can rejoice with you as well. Every comment is read and prayed over by a member of the Online Bible Study team.

Blessings,
Ginny Blankenship, P31 OBS Teaching Team & Prayer Warrior

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Melissa Taylor

Friday, May 17th, 2013

SLL Week 6, Day 5 ~ Take Away and Give Away

by Jamy

Hello and aren’t we glad it’s Friday?  I have been truly blessed by your comments this week. I love seeing how you ladies are getting into the Bible, drawing close to God and learning to live a stressed-less life. You challenge me to dig deeper and go further. I absolutely love this Online Bible Study community and treasure our time together.

This week we have learned that just like most tasks, there is a series of steps and we must begin with step one ~ “seek first.”

As I have focused on our reflection verse this week, Matthew 6:33, I have found that by seeking God’s presence first, the stress of my current situations have begun to fall into place. I know that God is in complete control; I simply need to lay everything at His feet and completely trust in His will and His timing.

Throughout Chapter Six, Tracie did an incredible job of laying out just how much we need God. You and I cannot do it on our own; we were never meant to. One of the keys to being better equipped to handle the stress in our lives is “abiding in Christ.”

Abiding in Christ. What does that mean?

The enemy wants more than anything for each one of us to stay in a state of feeling discouraged and unable to handle the circumstances in our lives. Many times this causes us to turn inward instead of reaching out to the only one who can truly help us ~ God. By focusing on our self and not God or reaching out to others, we become ineffective for the Kingdom. Therefore, you and I must guard our hearts and stay alert, so we can clearly distinguish the lies that the enemy tries to get us to believe. Keep in mind that “God not only sees our flaws, mistakes and insecurities, he loves us despite them. He sees a deeper beauty and worth in us than what anyone else can see, even more than we see in the mirror every day” (pg. 132). Do not fall victim to believe any less about yourself.

You, dear friend, are loved (I John 4:19), wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), chosen (Deuteronomy 14:2) and strong (Philippians 4:13).  Take a moment to look these verses up in your Bible. Underline or highlight them and write the date beside them. Write them in your journal or on notecards to post where you will see them. Allow God’s Word to enter your mind and then hide in your heart.

 

Your Turn (share in the comment section):

  • Share what you learned through your verse-mapping this week
  • What is your take away from Chapter 6?
  • What does “abiding in Christ” mean to you?
  • How has this study changed or impacted your life?

 

CONGRATULATIONS!  Our Weekly Prize Winner of the Stress Relief Pack is Wendy, email beginning waw94.  Wendy, email your full name, mailing address, and the prize you won to Angie@Proverbs31.org.  This week’s prize was donated by our awesome Week 6 leader, Jamy Whitaker. Thank you Jamy for a great week!

***Click here to access the Week 6 Blog Hop

***Click here to access the Week 6, Day 3 post

***Click here to access the Week 6, Day 2 post

***Click here to access the Week 6, Day 1 post

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Melissa Taylor

Thursday, May 16th, 2013

SLL Week 6, Day 4 ~ Stressed-Less Living Blog Hop!

by Heather

Best day of the week in my humble opinion…

First time hopping? CLICK HERE for important instructions and guidelines.

This week’s topics:

1.  Seek First. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ~Matthew 6:33 NIV. Verse map our reflection verse for three days and share with us how your heart responds to His Word.

2.  I’m A Big Girl! Think of a time when you thought you could do it all by yourself. What happened to make you change your mind?

3. Lay Down My Pride. Chapter 5. How has the issue of pride become a stumbling block in your life? How is the Stressed-Less Living study helping you draw closer to God?

4.  #Blessed. Add to your #Blessed entry or start one today!


Next week’s topics:

1.  What-EVER. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8. Map our reflection verse for three days and share with us how your heart responds to His Word.

2. God is Here. We are always growing and maturing in our faith. At times, our faith grows with one big leap. All of a sudden, things seem clearer and God seems close enough to touch. Describe a time when you experienced God in a profound way and in turn, your faith made a leap forward.

3.  Not my Goliath. Chapter 6. God provides us with what is needed to face the Goliaths in our lives. What are some big things you are facing right now? How are you depending on God’s strength to face these Goliaths?

4.  #Blessed. Add to your #Blessed entry or start one today!

Previous Stressed-Less Living Blog Hops

Yours in Christ,

Heather Bleier

OBS Executive Team

 

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Melissa Taylor

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